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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — for digging
  5. can — to be able to
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rash — hasty
  12. can — a tin
  13. mug — to rob
  14. last — final
  15. can — a tin
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mug — a cup
  18. last — to go on
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. capital — money
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. capital — a city

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com